Respect for the Law

Respect for the law is more than simply not violating the law, but rather having a reverence for it. Abraham Lincoln
 recognized the duty of every single American citizen to revere the law . In a speech given at the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois
on January 27, 1838, Lincoln proclaimed:

Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well-wisher to his posterity swear by the blood of the Revolution never to violate in the least particular the laws of the country, and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and laws let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor — let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children's liberty. Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling-books, and in almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the lively of all sexes and tongues and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.

Finally, for a real laugh, check out this 1950’s public domain film on Why We Respect The Law (see WhyWeRespect).

Order from Disorder

Growing up, I loved watching the Three Stooges. While every adventure basically was a rehash of the same old gimmicks that they repeated episode after episode, no matter how many times I watched their antics, it always seemed to me to be new, unexpected, and hilarious. In addition to entertaining me, however, the Three Stooges were preparing me to become a better trial lawyer.

In one of their best episodes, Disorder in the Court, they unwittingly are able to teach several lessons in how to and how not to try a case. Here are eight steps to becoming a better trial lawyer -- from the unique perspective of Moe, Larry, and Curly:

1. Show up on time - to court, mediations, arbitrations and meetings. In fact, show up early (see Three Stooges 1). You would be surprised how often we see very good trial lawyers, late for a mediation and sometimes even for trial.

2. Take your job seriously because people's lives are at stake ( not to mention their property and freedoms) (see Three Stooges 2). As a trial lawyer, with a full caseload, there is always something more important and unexpected waiting in the wings. It can be a challenge sometimes to keep perspective on the fact that every case, no matter how big or small in comparison to our other cases, is very important to each of our clients. However, the work that lawyers do is work that significantly impacts peoples lives – whether it is a fight over the faulty restoration of a brick chimney or the accurate determination of damages for the loss of patents in an intellectual property dispute.

3. Sometimes the simplest things to do in a courtroom are the most challenging for witnesses standing before a jury. For example, witnesses under the pressure of their imminent testimony will get flabbergasted over precisely where to stand when getting sworn in, how to navigate one’s way from the public seating area to the witness stand, or, as in Curly's case, what to do with one's hat and cane (see Three Stooges 3).

4. Repetition helps to punctuate a point (or in the case of the Three Stooges, a gimmick -- see Three Stooges 4). Repetition helps to keep the jury, judge, mediator, arbitrator, or your opponent focused on what you believe is important and what you want them to remember.

5. Make sure your witnesses (especially your experts) speak in words that the jury can understand (see Three Stooges 5). Don't let your witnesses use specialized lingo or haughty words. The goal is to speak at the jury's level without speaking down to them.

6. Visual communication and courtroom technology is not about bells and whistles (see Three Stooges 6). Whenever you present visual information, it should be substantively helpful to the jury. Just because you have access to use a particular type of technology doesn't mean that you should use it. You should deliberately choose the type, amount, and length of a visual presentation based on whether it will help the jury, judge, arbitrator, mediator, or opponent understand your evidence better.

7. Live, in-court demonstrations or experiments can backfire (see Three Stooges 7). I am always amazed to see experienced trial lawyers who wing it. Preparation will ensure your demonstration goes well. Preparation will enhance your credibility before an opponent, mediator, judge, or jury. Preparation, likewise, will prevent your witnesses from embarrassment. Be careful not to do something in court that you have not successfully attempted beforehand (out of the presence of the jury) or that simply could blow up in your face due to its uncontrollable nature. The infamous example of this mistake is the OJ Simpson “glove doesn’t fit” fiasco.

8. Finally, show respect for the law. Law keeps order in a society. The disorder and irreverence that the Three Stooges display in court is entertaining (see Three Stooges 8), but the truth is there are a lot of errors that lawyers make everyday in court that could easily be avoided.

Lightwave 10 Is Here!

Some very exciting news came about today for the 3D artist community. After a very, very long wait and many pushed back release dates, Lightwave 10 has finally been released.

The long awaited debut brings 3D software to a whole new level. Many of the new groundbreaking features unique to Lightwave are Viewport Preview Rendering (VPR), the precision of a complete Linear Color Space Workflow, real-time Anaglyph Stereoscopic Preview, and Virtual Studio Tools that deliver real-time virtual walkthroughs. These latest additions will now allow animators to dramatically reduce production time.

Probably the most anticipated out of the slew of upgrades would be the VPR. A long time consuming aspect of modeling and animating in the 3D world is checking to see what the final product would be like creating test render after test render. Depending on the level of detail in your project you could be waiting for one test rendered image to complete in about an hour! Well, wait no more...VPR enables you to see a previewed test render INSTANTLY as you're working without waiting absurd amounts of time. That alone will speed things up tremendously for any 3D artist.

As most people know, the movie Avatar was largely popular for its stereoscopic 3D seen while wearing special glasses in theaters. This upcoming phenomenon is now intuitively integrated into Lightwave 10's user interface for a far more precise manipulation and previsualization of stereoscopic imagery. Just throw on your 3D glasses while working on a project on 3D capable screen, and see your creation with realistic depth and feel.

These are just some of the latest features amongst many in the long awaited release of Newtek's Lightwave3D. Will Newtek lead the way in the 3D industry making its product the number one software package of choice? It has certainly taken a turn for the right direction...

The year of Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg was named person of the year. Wow. The facebook empire is getting bigger and bigger everyday. Facebook started off as a way to communicate with college friends now parents are even using it, which is still a little weird. As good as The Social Network film was it does not give this young man the credit he truly deserves. He is not only the youngest billionaire but he created the realm of social networking. Young people have become dependent on facebook, some spending hours on it a day looking through their friend’s pictures, reading the newsfeed or playing around with the 100s of game and downloadable apps offered now. From bumper stickers to Farmville the possibilities are endless for facebook. Businesses are now using it as a means to communicate with others. It seems every site you go on or every building you enter you see “ LIKE US ON FACEBOOK” or “FRIEND ME.” Those words have now become part of our everyday language and the social network craze is becoming bigger everyday.

Zuckerberg, 26, is the creator of this phenomenon that has over 500 million users worldwide. He is also the subject of the movie "The Social Network," which received six Golden Globe nominations. Each day gets better and better for this young man. He is also very generous as he gives a majority of his wealth to charities. No matter how much public attention facebook is getting regarding teachers "friending" students, or the amount of time teens are spending on the social network, or how to maintain your privacy; Zuckerberg has come out with an answer. No matter what people say about the social network site, people are still using it and most are relying on it to communicate with long lost friends, family members and when making new friendships.

Mark Zuckerberg has created something that has become part of the younger generation’s everyday routines. Checking your facebook has become the “it” thing in 2010 and we can only imagine the limits Zuckerberg will test in 2011, but no matter what we will all be signing in and obsessing about the new ways to communicate with friends.

A New Way to Shoot Video

In today's world of technology and increasing domination of social networking communities, video has become the forefront on many business websites, blogs, and of course Facebook. I worked with a professional photographer a few years ago as his assistant and I remember asking him what avenues to take to be a photographer someday. He responded and told me that the photography industry is soon going to be obsolete because many people are going to lean towards video, specifically cameras that can shoot photos and video at the same time. I was shocked at his response because that meant that he would not be in business for much longer. I realized that what he meant was that the industry and technologies are changing, and to be a player on the same field, you have to adapt and change as well.

The new technology in professional photography cameras, DSLR cameras, today is absolutely amazing! For the first time ever really, the photography industry is now apart of the video industry. Cameras like the Canon 7D that are your standard professional photography camera, are now capable of shooting high definition video. This has become a young film makers dream because for the cost of high definition equipment today, you would be paying tens of thousands of dollars, whereas with the 7D, you are only dishing out a couple thousand to get what is arguably the same (if not better) quality video.

I came across this video on YouTube that shows how you can adapt your DSLR to do the things a Panasonic HPX (or other high def camera) can do, and then some... The mobility and ease of use with the DSLR lets you take the camera almost anywhere and in any condition. Video cameras are often heavy and hard to maneuver in small spaces where the shot really counts. The DSLR is about a 1/4 of the size of an HPX and can get into tight spaces to get shots other cameras wouldn't normally be able to.

In the legal video industry, imagine being out at a scene taking photos and then being able to capture high definition video seamlessly on the same media card with the flick of a switch. This is where these new technologies are taking us, and it's giving young filmmakers, and even experienced ones, the opportunity to move the camera and use a different kind of lens system that they never were able to before.

Filmmaker, Leonard Retel Helmrich, talks about how video cameras are designed wrong, and in order to get nice smooth video you have to use steadicam systems, and other accessories, to achieve what you are looking for. He believes that video cameras should be designed and shaped the way photography cameras are because it allows you to hold it more naturally and move in a way that you can't with a standard video camera. I was able to ask him at a workshop one day what he thought about the new DSRL cameras that are going to able to capture high definition video, and he told me that it's about this concept is actually coming to life.

The new wave of DSLR cameras is already changing the industry by allowing young filmmakers to produce high quality video with a camera that is able to capture professional audio, video, and maneuver in ways that experienced filmmakers wish they could years ago.

Accuracy in 3D Legal Graphics

In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of creating three dimensional models and animations for the legal industry is that the more accurate the visuals are the more effective the presentation is. Creating a fair and accurate presentation is the only way to enable the visuals to be admissible into evidence for a trial. There is no room for error, unlike a mediation where visual aids are more persuasive and not bound by legal rules. If the presentation is not fair and accurate during a trial when the animator has to testify on the stand, they will be torn apart by the opposing side of the case. This could cause a completely different outcome resulting in a benefit to them instead of your side.

The first stage in the accuracy process is to collect all the photographs and as much data and measurements as possible. Even if this requires going back to the scene of where the incident took place after the majority of the data has been collected from the clients and experts. The more measurements the better, and all of the additional details help.

If all this is done in the very beginning, not only does it help ensure that everything in the digital world matches up with the real world, but it also makes things easier in the building process. Having all this vital information speeds up the production time astronomically because of not having to go back and find bits and pieces of missing data. For instance if you only have the height and depth of an object but not the width, it causes you to not only risk admissibility but also makes the production time much longer than necessary.

When the virtual world is being presented in a trial, and is fair and accurate, it can be extremely helpful to the side it's being used for. The jury can now see multiple angles of an incident they would never have been able to see before with the use of 3D animation. New levels of detail can be noticed in close up camera shots and a better understanding of the incident as a whole can now be perceived.

Alternative legal careers... for alternative lawyers.

I've recently had the pleasure of speaking with some third-year law school students and recent graduates. They have some... well... let's say, "interesting," ideas about the world. Almost every law school student or recent grad I've spoken with has this idea that not only are they marketable, but that they can still land a job in today's economy, which you know is a laughable idea if you've graduated within the last three to four years. I suspect that law schools (more specifically their respective Career Services departments) are keeping student hope alive for the express purpose of making sure that law school enrollment stays at an all time high even though legal jobs are at an all time low.

I personally graduated right when the economy took its downward turn. Many of my friends thankfully found work early on, but I was one of the less lucky (though still very fortunate) ones that had to go through two boxes of resume paper and countless online applications before landing my own job (without ANY help from Career Services mind you). It took me almost a year to find a steady job and not a day went by during that time that I wasn't actively, in some way, trying to land a job. The process was grueling, exhausting, and demeaning all at the same time.

I made the same error early on that so many graduates make. I assumed that I'd get work at a medium to large sized firm. I set the bar there (no pun intended) and I was committed to that goal. I realized there was a problem when I noticed that almost no firms were hiring and if they were, they wanted experience. "Experience," now there is a word to dread as a recent graduate. The one thing you can't possibly get in order to land a job that requires it. The comically tragic Catch-22 that rules out so many applicants when the economy is down yet law schools are pumping out graduates faster than ever.

I started to lower my standards and look for legal jobs that I wasn't even interested in, just so I could get the fabled "experience" that would make me marketable. I joined five temp agencies and got one job that lasted one week (actually it was listed for three weeks, but I was so efficient that I did the work in one - silly me for having a strong work ethic). So, when that didn't work, I lowered my standards even more and looked for paralegal jobs. Just something, anything, to keep me in the legal field. No luck... it's not that I wasn't qualified, it's that no one wanted to hire a lawyer to be a paralegal because as soon as a job opened up that lawyer would be gone... and... I totally would have been. Lastly, I turned to trying to get ANY job. That's when my eyes opened to all of the other opportunities out there available to a person with a law degree that had nothing to do with law. Click here to check out this blog about alternative legal careers. It lists four types of jobs reported by four different law school graduates, which are: financial planner, real estate investment, campaign work, and government consulting.

It was alternative legal careers that gave me new hope. I started looking into what it would take to get my real estate license, which is easy for a lawyer. I also looked into finance when a friend of mine told me that her accounting firm loved the idea of hiring a lawyer to manage certain finances. I also realized that plenty of companies were interested in the idea of hiring lawyers as business developers because while an MBA is nice, a law degree is often better. It was during this period of newfound hope for employment that I found my current position at WIN Interactive.

Granted, my current job is very related to the legal field, but as far as legal careers go, there aren't many lawyers that do what I do. At first, I thought it would bother me not to do what all of my colleagues were doing, but I quickly realized that I (like all associates) I probably would have hated the first few years of my career at a large firm. I'm sure the pay is wonderful, but they take it out of you in a reduction in the quality of life. Many of my friends were working obscene hours and burning out in the process. Often, alternative legal careers can give you a taste of the law without a lot of the hassle that goes with it. For example, as a litigation consultant and project manager, I get to work with some of the best attorneys in the country (not just the state!) and on some of the best cases in the country. I don't often have to deal with the early stages of a case where there's a lot of paperwork and very little interesting legal argument. Where I come in, I get right into the meat of a case and I get to help craft the presentation of a case at mediation, arbitration, or trial... and I got to do that right out of law school!

Many of us have talents that get tossed to the side in the pursuit of a legal career. For example, I was always very creative growing up and in school. I loved the arts and computers, but there isn't much room for visual creativity in law school. My alternative legal career allows me to take advantage of my love for the arts and computers and apply those skills to my legal knowledge.

As time went on, other, more traditional lawyerly, opportunities also began to present themselves because as a lawyer working for a legal graphics consulting firm, I work with other lawyers. As a result, we can try cases when we feel like it in addition to our regular business. A little over one year after law school and I cross-examined a witness in court in a small case. I also got to teach at a MCLE course on medical malpractice and visual communication.

The bottom line is that working as a lawyer for a firm is great if you can get it and that's what you want out of life. On the other hand, there are so many other opportunities out there if recent graduates are willing to open themselves up to them. Not everyone is cut out for firm life, and even less people are getting those jobs today, but luckily, there are alternatives...